1. Fred Williamson was a top sports star during the decade, and become a leading man in blaxploitation and action films beginning in the 1970s.
32 Facts About Fred Williamson
1. 2.
Fred Williamson then played three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, where was a one-time AFL Champion.
3.
Fred Williamson starred as Tommy Gibbs in the 1973 crime drama film Black Caesar and its sequel Hell Up in Harlem.
4.
Fred Williamson had roles in other 1970s blaxploitation films such as Hammer, That Man Bolt and Three the Hard Way.
5.
Fred Williamson attended Froebel High School in Gary, where he ran track and played football.
6.
An avid martial artist, Fred Williamson holds black belts in Kenpo, Shotokan karate and taekwondo.
7.
Fred Williamson was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers and played one year for the Steelers in the National Football League in 1960.
8.
Fred Williamson played four seasons for the AFL's Oakland Raiders, making the AFL All-Star team in 1961,1962, and 1963.
9.
Fred Williamson played three seasons for the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs.
10.
Fred Williamson stated "Two hammers to Dowler, one to Dale should be enough".
11.
Fred Williamson's head met the knee of the Packers' running back Donny Anderson.
12.
Fred Williamson later suffered a broken arm from his own teammate when Chiefs linebacker Sherrill Headrick fell on him.
13.
Fred Williamson finished his eight-season pro football career in 1967 with a history of many hard tackles, passes knocked away, and 36 pass interceptions in 104 games.
14.
Fred Williamson returned his interceptions for 479 yards and two touchdowns.
15.
Fred Williamson became an actor much in the mold of star running back Jim Brown.
16.
Fred Williamson acted alongside Brown in films such as Three the Hard Way, Take a Hard Ride, One Down, Two to Go, which featured Jim Kelly.
17.
In October 1973, Fred Williamson posed nude for Playgirl magazine, preempting Brown's appearance in 1974.
18.
Fred Williamson played Diahann Carroll's love interest in the sitcom Julia.
19.
Fred Williamson played the role of an African-American gangster in the film Black Caesar and its subsequent sequel, Hell Up in Harlem.
20.
Fred Williamson starred in the 1975 western film Boss Nigger, in which he played the title role.
21.
Fred Williamson starred alongside Peter Boyle and Eli Wallach in the movie Crazy Joe.
22.
Fred Williamson co-starred with George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino in From Dusk till Dawn, directed by Robert Rodriguez.
23.
Fred Williamson was in the cast of the original The Inglorious Bastards, which would later inspire Tarantino's 2009 film of similar name.
24.
In 1974, Fred Williamson was hired by the ABC television network to serve as a color commentator on Monday Night Football, replacing Don Meredith, who had left to pursue an acting and broadcasting career at rival network NBC.
25.
Fred Williamson was used on a few pre-season broadcasts, but was quickly declared unsuitable by ABC.
26.
Fred Williamson was relieved of his duties at the beginning of the regular season, becoming the first MNF personality not to endure for an entire season.
27.
Fred Williamson was replaced by the fellow former player Alex Karras.
28.
Fred Williamson has co-starred in a number of films with Bo Svenson.
29.
Since the 1970s, Fred Williamson has had another career as a director and producer.
30.
Fred Williamson has at least three children but some sources state he has at least six.
31.
Since 1997, Fred Williamson has had a home in Palm Springs, California.
32.
In June 2020, The Daily Beast reported that Fred Williamson had allegedly attempted to grope an assistant costume designer during a wardrobe fitting.